Preston North End boss Frankie McAvoy felt it was one moment of quality that won the game for Rovers in a game of few chances.

Ben Brereton expertly headed home a fine Reda Khadra cross eight minutes into the second half, the North End defenders not heeding the warning from their manager about the threat of the Chilean international who netted his 17th of the season.

One goal was all it took for Rovers to end a 20-year wait for a victory over North End at Ewood Park in conditions not conducive to free-flowing football.

Preston had the greater territory in the first half but only managed one effort on target and failed to muster a response after going behind.

"There was one bit of quality in the game which went against us. I didn't think there was much in the game at all between the two teams,” McAvoy.

"I think we probably had more of the ball and more of the chances but maybe they had one or two more on target than we had.

"We had an opportunity with Alan Browne bursting through in the first half which came from a great ball by Ched Evans to penetrate in behind. The water held the ball up a bit for Alan.

"For their goal it was too cheap of us to allow the cross into the box and we had spoken about not allowing Brereton Diaz or anyone getting across the front of us for a header.

"We had worked hard on that but unfortunately it was a good cross and a quality header.”

North End felt they should have had a penalty late on, Josh Earl’s cross hitting the arm of Ryan Nyambe only for referee Gavin Ward to wave away those appeals.

It was a call that frustrated McAvoy.

He added: "I've seen the penalty claim back, it looks like a penalty kick, the lad's hands are away from his body. I don't know why the referee didn't give it.

"There wasn't long left in the game at that stage. That bit of luck just evaded us.

"The conditions weren't great for either team, you could see the beginning that Blackburn didn't want to take any chances in their half of the pitch because there was a lot of surface water.

"I felt we dominated the game in the first half while in the second half Blackburn came out and showed a reaction.

"When they scored the goal they could sit back a bit and the onus was on us to try and push forward for the equaliser.

"We tried to do that but it was a scrappy second half over the piece."